Big new Call of Duty: WW2 update is just what the game needed
Good job, soldier.
Sledgehammer Games has released perhaps the most substantial update for Call of Duty: WW2 yet.
Update 1.09, which comes alongside the Resistance event, adds new weapons, new game modes, a raft of user interface tweaks and fixes and, crucially, makes key gameplay changes.
Let's start with the user interface. Sledgehammer has moved the HQ from being the first default option in the "find match" menu - a change players have called for since the game came out last year. Previously, players would often accidentally trigger the start of HQ when they wanted to jump straight into another part of the game.
Here's a welcome audio change: fans of the wonderful War mode will probably be familiar with the... enthusiastic announcer, who would bark status updates loudly and frequently. Sledgehammer has simply turned him down a bit, so he should be a lot less annoying. Meanwhile, the update turns down the foley footstep volume, as well as other players' footstep volume.
Now onto the gameplay changes. Sledgehammer's patch notes for the update say it's "removed shell shock from friendly explosions". What it's actually done here is made it so friendly shellshock no longer impacts player movement. The visual effects and screen shake are still present, but player movement and look speed reductions have been eliminated. This is another welcome change, as friendly fire shell shock could get pretty annoying.
The patch notes also mention health regeneration has been sped up. Ever since Call of Duty: WW2's release, players have called for quicker health regen. Sledgehammer indicated it set health regen as it had in a bid to simulate a more realistic World War 2 feel (forcing players to stop sprinting after a couple of seconds was also part of this design philosophy).
However, according to community testing, it doesn't sound like this update has had much of an effect on health regeneration at all. Call of Duty YouTuber Xclusive Ace (check out his video on the Resistance update below) says he's tested the health regen and can't detect a change at all. Players are hoping for a comment from Sledgehammer on this soon.
Apart from this blip, the update is going down well with the Call of Duty: WW2 community, which is slowly coming around after a rocky period late last year that saw a raft of technical and performance issues dog the game. The Resistance event, which adds new weapons, the fan-favourite Prop Hunt game mode and the new Resistance Division, has fuelled a resurgence in Call of Duty: WW2, and while problems remain, it looks like the game is on the right track.